(CBS News) J.C. Penney is trying to rebuild its customer base with help from a new spokeswoman, Ellen DeGeneres. But a group called One Million Moms is accusing the company of "jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon."

DeGeneres responded to the group on her TV show Wednesday, saying, "I'm happy about (being the spokesperson) J.C. Penney is happy about it. But there's this group called One Million Moms that is not happy about it. And normally I try not to pay attention to my haters, but this time I'd like to talk about it because my haters are my motivators. This organization doesn't think I should be the spokesperson because I am gay. So for those of you tuning in for the first time, I'm gay. I hope you were sitting down. ... So they wanted to get me fired, and I'm proud and happy to say that J.C. Penney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson."

In a statement last week, J.C. Penney said it stands behind its partnership the talk show host.

On "CBS This Morning," Thursday, J.C. Penney chief executive officer Ron Johnson, said the company "shares the same values" as DeGeneres and that the decision to have her as a spokesperson was a "no-brainer."

"We don't look at it like a controversy. One of the great things about America is people can speak their mind. And you know, the organization that believes one thing has spoken and it was great to see Ellen share her views yesterday. And we stand squarely behind Ellen as our spokesperson and that's a great thing. Because she shares the same values that we do in our company. Our company was founded 110 years ago on the golden rule, which is about treating people fair and square, just like you would like to be treated yourself. And we think Ellen represents the values of our company and the values that we share."

Wow, since my family really DOES shop at J.C. Penny, this is one of those conservative boycotts I can actually participate in. I will not darken their doors again because their values are not my values.

I don’t have a problem with JC Penney hiring Ellen. And the move is having better than the desired effect. Lots of attention to the new “JCP”. There’s always Target, and Kohl’s to name a couple of alternatives. I don’t shop at JCP, and hiring Ellen isn’t going to inspire me to check them out.

JCP is certainly free to align with who they like as their spokesMAN, same as we are free to not align with JCP considering their choice to give the majority of us the bird.

Hope their moving to 5% of population as their new base works out, but I suspect more non-homo Americans will shop elsewhere than new customers they’ll attract with Degenerate. Maybe JCP should go ask HomoDepot how that worked out.

Am betting that within 2 weeks Degenerate will not be their spokesMAN.

The whole spokesman thing is weird anyway. I have NEVER in my life saw a spokesman and said, “I am going to that store”. I go to the stores that I enjoy and want to buy things but it has nothing to do with a spokesman.

32
posted on 02/09/2012 7:24:12 AM PST
by napscoordinator
(A moral principled Christian with character is the frontrunner! Congrats Santorum!)

Ellen is a very talented comedian & talkshow host. Yet putting her homosexuality up front has gotten her shows cancelled in the past. When she doesn’t push that aspect she does just fine with her audience.

It seems that the Mom’s have provoked Ellen. It’ll be interesting to see if Ellen goes into another career tailspin by once-again putting her lesbianism first. If I were J.C. Penney I’d be worried about that possibility.

34
posted on 02/09/2012 7:26:02 AM PST
by Tallguy
(It's all 'Fun and Games' until somebody loses an eye!)

There is a list somewhere of “gay” friendly companies. The gay organizations take note of companies which have “gay” friendly personnel policies and support the homosexual agenda. There are a lot of major companies on that list.

Starbucks recently came out as favoring homosexual marriage, as their corporate position. If I recall correctly, they also said that this position reflects their values and reflects diversity and all that.

There seems to be a great deal of pressure being brought on Corporate America to celebrate homosexuality.

I was trying to think of one woman comedienne who’s actually funny. Came up blank. Griffin is outright disgusting. DeGeneres has backed off her ‘in your face’ lesbianism of earlier times, and she is funny, did a good job for AmEx.

The ‘shared values’ statement could well have been left unsaid. Even CEO’s are entitled to be stupid from time to time.

I tend to think ‘interest groups’ endlessly inserting themselves into corporate decisions is getting rather boring. The feminists managed to get Rush Limbaugh removed as spokesman for Florida Orange Juice. Somehow, RL speaking for Florida orange juice was going to contaminate it? Or DeGeneres flacking JC Penney will lessen the quality of their merchandise? Or, if I buy my kid Winnie the Poo jammies at JCP, they’ll end up gay?

With the new plan, instead of getting people in four times a year, JC Penney hopes to draw them in just once a month. If they’re successful in that, they’d triple their business from promotions.

Along with the new logo, in hand with the 12 promotions a year, each month will receive a color. That color will be reflected on the outside of the store with lighting fixtures, in the 96-page booklet JC Penney will mail to its customers and inside the store in the frames and photos.

Classic JC Penney brands such as IZOD, Arizona Jeans, Liz Claiborne and St. John’s Bay already have plans for their shops in the works. New partners such Martha Stewart and L’Amour by Nanette Lepore will also have stores.

QUOTE: “I didn’t come here to improve. I came here to transform. Every single leader in America who works to improve their business year after year...can create gradual results, but the only question is, how fast did you improve compared to someone else? You don’t fundamentally change your position in the marketplace.”

I’ve noticed that they seem to be changing their “brand” from J. C. Penney to jcp. I worked for them in college, at a time when Mr. Penney’s picture hung in every store — over the elevators. He must have been in his 80’s at the time, if he was still alive. But his ideas of customer service and honesty in business permeated the culture.

Seems things have degenerated since then — perhaps that is why their spokesperson is now DeGeneres...;^)

I don't follow Degeneres much. I know she's a homosexualist, but she avoids throwing it in my face unlike Rosie O'Donnell.

In my opinion, she's got a disorder, just like depression, alcoholism, schizophrenia, etc. So long as she's not trying to get others to mimic her disorder, I don't really care much one way or the other.

I will say trying to “normalize” homosexualism is as evil as trying to deny autistic people help.

Before Ron Johnson took the stage yesterday to unveil his revival plan for J.C. Penney Co. (JCP), William Ackman, the chains largest shareholder, vowed it would be the most important day for retailing in 25 years.

Investors differed, and the shares sank during Johnsons 90-minute presentation. It was a signal that his plan fell short of the excitement that has followed Johnson since he became chief executive officer in June after turning Apple Inc. (AAPL) stores into the worlds most successful retail operation.

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